Ditch those friends

Friendships are very important for our health and well-being, but some can be very harmful as well. Negative friendships may cause stress, frustration, and may even put us in situations that could jeopardize us and our loved ones. Amanda MacMillan, who writes for Yahoo!Health,[i] suggest five types of friends we should ditch, four our own sake:

Negative Nancy. Whether good or bad, moods are contagious. A friend may be going through a tough time and needs to talk to you about them. You may need to ask yourself if this is an occasional thing, or a chronic pattern that’s making it too difficult for you to handle your emotions or your own life.

Nit-picky Norman. If you reach out to your friend and all you get in return is complaints, criticism, and constant demands it could be harmful to your health. According to a study, frequent arguments and conflicts within a person’s social circle were associated with an increased risk of death in middle age. While conflict management may help reduce these dangers, you may have to eliminate those friends from your life.

Backstabber Bob. So a friend let you down in some way, but he’s promised to make it up to you. Is this a one-time thing or a pattern? And what does your gut tell you about this friend, and about the future of your friendship?” These questions can help you decide whether you should try to mend the relationship or let it go.

Chronic-canceler Claire. If you spend more time waiting around for this person to show up, or trying to schedule and reschedule plans than actually spending time together, you may want to let this friendship run its course. It may be time to stop wasting your energy.

Bad-example Betty. If you feel yourself getting sucked into bad behavior whenever you spend time together, it’s time to back off.

You may not need to ditch these friends altogether, especially if they also have good qualities you value, or if you know they have the potential to change. But be aware of how their unhealthy habits are rubbing off on you.